On Wednesday, August 22, Skanska joined Empire State Realty Trust to celebrate the grand opening of the new Skanska-built Empire State Building Observatory entrance. The new entrance, located on 34th Street, will serve as a dedicated entrance for the more than four million Guests to the Observatory each year.
Skanska served as Construction Manager for the redevelopment and relocation of the new Empire State Building Observatory entrance. As Construction Manager, Skanska was responsible for developing the project budget and schedule and for coordinating the various sub-contractors working on-site to deliver a brand-new Observatory entrance.
The opening of the Observatory entrance is the first phase of a multiphase redevelopment project and will enhance the Guest experience from start to finish, with an expanded Grand Lobby equipped with new self-service ticket kiosks, interactive exhibits, and a two-story scale model of the Empire State Building, among other amenities. The entrance will also help the Empire State Building accommodate an ever-increasing number of Guests by increasing capacity and improving the flow of guests.
“Skanska is proud to partner with Empire State Realty Trust to deliver the Empire State Building’s new, state-of-the-art Observatory entrance,” said Tom Webb, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Skanska USA Building. “In addition, our US headquarters are located in the Empire State Building, and we are excited about this project and the other projects that have been completed in recent years to make this iconic building a great place to work for our employees and thousands of others and a great place to visit for people from around the world.”
Skanska is no stranger to the Empire State Building: over the last seven years, Skanska has provided construction management services for more than 20 separate renovation projects as part of the ongoing top-to-bottom redesign of the Empire State Building. In 2008, Skanska completed the fit-out of the company’s flagship New York City offices, which are located on the Empire State Building’s 32nd Floor.
More recently, in 2017, Skanska was the lead contractor for an innovative project that included erecting a massive sheltering “cocoon” to allow Skanska workers to conduct steel repair work and add 39 tons of new steel to the Empire State Building’s mast, tower, and antennas safely and efficiently, all without disruption the building’s normal operations.